M I S S T H I S

02:07 nm 0 Comments

I've been living on my own since I was 17. The call for adventure took over me and I had to go see the world. At the same time, my Mom and her husband had a similar calling. They moved to the Middle East. When I arrived back to Canada I had to figure out how to live in an adult reality. Although my family was so far away, I always felt their presents and support. I knew no matter what I was never alone or stranded. 

Recently, I called my mom to share my concerns about my new adventure. With the magic Momma touch she made me instantly feel better. In my speech about the uncertainties I was facing I said "What if I get home sick?". My Mom started laughing. She reminded me that I've never been home sick. 

Okay maybe I've been home sick before, but never enough to actually DO something about it. 
I had this mock homesick feeling yesterday evening after taking a cab with two friends. The two women I took the taxi with are close, good friends. They were speaking in Thai, I've been really good to listen carefully hoping that I might pick something up. In this instance I stopped listening and  started thinking. In my radio silence I could only think of the cab rides home with my friends, or walking into my old apartment to be greeted by the people who know me best. Even though I am surrounded by amazing and kind new people I still have a nagging feeling to be around my friends and family. 

Giving my friends and family a hug isn't an option. I've come up with a few ways to remedy my sad gal emotions. Firstly; a solo run in the park followed by good music, a great outfit including my moonstone bracket (the hocus pocus stone that balances emotions), and cute Cafe. Where I'll drink a blended and sweet beverage and do something creative like write or draw.  I also tell my people how much I miss them and send them cyber hugs. It's a simple solution to help me feel surrounded by my friends and family who are miles away.

With some practice, I've got this down pat. Missing people is the worst, but helping myself feel better and with the kind words of my friends this moment will easily pass. Enjoy the time with your friends and family this holiday season and give them big hugs (cyber and real)! 


         

       

        

       

         
  
   
 
 
  

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B K K

08:00 nm 0 Comments

When I was living in Vancouver I found it easy to complain about working too much and not playing enough. I made the effort to work my 40 hours then spend my extra time doing something that was good for me. I used my days off to hang with my roommates, making dinner and binge watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer. My plans for when my (f)unemployment kicked in, was to just do whatever the hell I wanted. To try new things and use every moment to soak up where my adventurous heart took me. I wanted to make up for the time when I was working my buns off in Canada.

(F)unemployment has been a little different then planned. Truthfully, a lot of my days are spent hanging out in coffee shops; writing and trying to plan what my future in Thailand might look like. That might not sound exciting for you, but I'm having a great time doing it. These days need to be broken up with adventures. That's what I'm here for right? Adventures! 

I've been lucky to make some great friends who don't want to see me rot away in coffee shops and want to show me around Bangkok. Yesterday was the best BKK adventure day yet. Mae took me to some amazing places. We started our day out at Hof Art Gallery in Ekkamai. Where  we admired local artists work. We picked our favourites and tried to use our artist eye to dissect an abstract oil painting. 

Next we walked to Benjasiri Park to people watch and eat street fruit and vegetarian spring rolls. This park was small but relaxing. Mae and I chilled and watched people workout while we sat there and stuffed our faces. Mae found the park cat (she's a cat whisperer) and we played with it till it found someone else to love.

Next we hit up Art Box Market. I originally wanted to go home and change. When I saw this market I begged to look for just "2 seconds" that quickly turned into half an hour. We were craving something sweet so we treated ourselves to Umeshu frozen yogurt. Umeshu is a super sweet  Japanese plum liqueur. I definitely recommend to try it if you like to sip on sweet drinks. After satiating our sweet tooth; Mae wanted to bring me to a secret spot for dinner. Desert before dinner, that's how you know you've successfully made it to adulthood.

The secret spot will remain unnamed. Partly because I don't rememberwhat it's called and partly because it's a local hangout. I'd hate for it to be a tourist spot on account of this post. I love having a local gal to show me around and share these sweet spots in Bangkok. Mae and I watched the sun set and ate the spiciest soup I have ever put to my lips. It caused us to gladly drink 3 big Leo beers to cool off our dragon tongues.

You'd think that the day would end here but it didn't. Next we took a taxi to China Town. Here we walked the main street and the small surrounding Soi's. Looking at the sizzingls street meat and the bright neon lights. This was the first time I've ever seen shark fin meat for sale. I died a little inside. It reminded me of a Chinese restaurant on Main Street in Vancouver. Where they sold shark fin soup. For weeks there were protesters asking people to not eat there and raising awareness for sharks. After realizing there were no protesters and shark lovers, I had a rude awakening that I was not in Kansas any more. 

After several frowning moments, Mae suggested that we change our scenery and grab a drink at Tep. Tep is a authentic Thai bar with a modern twist. There was an amazing four piece band playing flutes, drums and chimes. They sang traditional Thai songs which the crowed sang and danced to.  We drank yadong, a flavoured Thai whiskey. Yadong is to be taken like tequila; chased with pickled mangos and pandan water. I really enjoyed the entire experience. 

After a full day, I was ready to go home. I felt like cranky toddler. Completely exhausted by the day's activities and on the verge of a too tired temper tantrum. Despite my moody attitude, I was happy and  grateful for the day I experienced. Adventure is everywhere. Even if you know a city inside and out, or you're a tourist. There is something to do and something to see. It just might take a little push to get outside the house and your mind to seek what's waiting for you. Give it a try! You'll never know what you'll find, and when the day ends you'll have the best sleep of your life. 

          

         

          

          

         

         

       

        

        

        

        

       

       


   
 
  
  
  
  

   
  


   
   

  

0 comments:

A R I L I F E

00:52 nm 0 Comments

I love having a home. There is nothing like your own bed covered in sleeping cats and their fur, a closet full of clothes that you hate/love and the option to eat dinner in the nude.  Living in hostels, you don't really get to channel these comforts. Actually, you probably could, but there would be some heavy complaints.  I'm excited to say that I have a new home in Bangkok that has all these amenities and more! 

I'm living in an area called Ari. It's located in northern Bangkok between Victory Monument and Chatuchak Market. I love living in trendy areas with chill places to have  tea and do a little work (call me a hipster, I dare you).  Ari has a great mix of trendy cafes, restaurants, local artists and entrepreneurs that call this area home. In addition to the hip vibe, the true Thai experience is still alive with  fantastic street food vendors and fruit and vegetable markets. There is a park with an outdoor gym, a small walking track, tennis courts and a curious giant lizard that skids across the track spooking unsuspecting walkers. For my Vancouverites, Ari is the equivalent of Main and 14th. Although there are no local breweries or artisan doughnut shops for beanie clad locals to loiter.

My life in Ari consists of waking up and heading to the park to go pump some cement blocks and persuade myself to run around the track "just one more time". On my way home I pick up a fresh coconut water that a local vendor packs into bags and I make the hunt for fruit from the guy around the corner. He has the best pineapple.

At home I am greeted by 2 fur babies (Flappy Bottombee and Kiss TidTurbo) who try to escape when I struggle to open the door. The apartment is a mix of fashionista gone wild (clothes barely contained) an artists office and a jungle patio. It was easy for me to call this apartment home, along with the people and kitties in it. 

Just around the corner from the apartment is Ease. A quiet cafe with real coffee, a fantastic selection of herbal teas and one of the best green house patios I've relaxed on. I like to go here to write and sit in the air conditioning and listen to relaxing jazzy beats when I need a break from the city heat. The staff are so friendly and accommodating.  It's chill vibe is infectious and I've noticed people like to hang around for hours. 

I have a few favorite places to eat in Ari. On Thursdays and Fridays, The Spring Roll Ladies (dubbed by me) set up shop on the street by the BTS skytrain station. They make great raw spring rolls and the wasabi they serve is blindingly hot. AKA perfection. The rest of the week I hit up the vegetarian food counter called Suan Phai. Located down one of Ari's many alleyways. I like going here because I can select whatever I want without the fear of accidentally eating meat. Despite my best efforts at shyly saying "man-za-we-lak" (without meat) there are moments when my lunch suspiciously tastes like animals. It's comforting to know Suan Phai has my back. Most importantly the food is amazing and inexpensive. 

Within the winding Soi's (streets) there are laundry mats, hard wear stores, clothing shops, food trucks, bars, the list goes on! I am only covering what I've discovered of Ari so far. There is so much more to be seen. 

I am feeling pretty lucky to have fallen into such a wonderful opportunity to live here. I'd like to say that I am surprised that I quickly decided to nest instead of backpack, but this has been brewing for a long time. The timing is perfect. I have inspiring people surrounding me, an opportunity to learn a new language, a rad place to call home and it's 30 degrees here while my friends and family are covered in snow. Life is bliss I say!

         
         
  
         

         

         

         

         

         

         




  


  

  

 




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Y E S , I G U E S S

03:57 nm 1 Comments

Although I haven't been posting, I've still been writing up a storm. Whenever I have a spare moment I'll grab whatever I can find to write on. I scribble my thoughts down to get them out  of my racing noggin. I've been stuck on a certain topic. Every time I take a minute to write for this blog, I decide I want to write about the power of yes.

The intro to the piece is full of imagery and makes you think about the lovely, tingly exhilarating sensation you get when you take a leap in agreeance. I wanted my writing to inspire  readers to go outside and scream "HELL YES" at the top of their lungs then go kick garbage cans around in bad ass "yes" bliss. When I go to complete the rest of the article, I feel like an even worse poser then Avril Lavigne in her pop punk days. That's saying something. 

How am I suppose to encourage people to take a chance and say yes when I am living a daily struggle to do the same? As much as I want to inspire readers to be daring and confidant, I can't write acting as if I am. I am not a pop punk poser, I'm trying to live authentically. That means I must write authentically.

 Please don't think I am sitting on the side lines in Thailand; humming and hawing over fun opportunities. I've been shocking myself everyday with my yes saying abilities. I've said yes to things that are completely against my old ethics (nothing terrible, scouts honour). Like eating a black egg. Google it. I find that this always happens. The moment you say "I'll never..." You literally jinx the whole situation, so be prepared to do it my friend.

The most recent challenge I've faced was saying yes to moving to Bangkok and starting a 6 month Thai language course. If you go back a few posts, you'll read that I didn't like Bangkok and I couldn't wait to get out of the city. I am the Queen of Changing My Mind. When I was little my Mom used to ask me what my favorite colour was that day, I was never consistent. Sitting at the Thai language school in freezing air con, I closed my eyes and pushed my visa over and signed my future 6 months away to learning a new skill. I'm excited! But more in the way I feel like I might pee my pants out of uncertainty.

This was not how I described saying yes in my rough drafts. Realistically it's more like: "You hold your breath because it feels like an elephant just walked across your chest. A bead of sweat runs down your neck and your eyes frantically flicker around the room in hopes there is something to distract you for a moment. Then it happens, the inevitable gurgling that rumbles your stomach. Your mouth hangs open and "yes" inaudibly falls out. "That wasn't so bad, I guess" you think to yourself. You clear your throat, take a deep breath and say "Yes, okay!"" 

To be fair, I am new at this practice. It's hard but maybe when I start saying yes more it will get easier. I won't feel like I am going to lose my lunch or have a bodily reaction that makes me look like I just stepped out of a hot yoga class. At least I'm not indecisive, and I am trying to change my life to take what I want from it. No sweaty palms will stand in between that.

I regards to my travel alterations, I'll be headed to Vietnam for a month before starting school, so you'll still get to read up on my travel adventures. Once I am Bangkok bound, my blog may take a turn from a documentary to a confessional mixed with special places I find.

I hope this was somewhat inspirational. Saying yes can be a bitch, but I have a feeling it's worth it.



     



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